NieR Automata is due for release on PS4 at the start of March 2017, but fans are able to get a hands-on as of today thanks to a playable demo launching on the PlayStation Store. It has the rather unwieldy title of NieR Automata DEMO 120161128, but offers a solid half-hour chunk of gameplay for Platinum Games’ new project. You can play as sword-slashing android 2B and fight killer machines in a massive weapons factory, culminating in a boss battle with a humongous mech.

The combat is particularly impressive – the clunky slow battling of the original NieR now completely revamped into a fast, stylish dance of dashes, slashes and bullets. You’ll feel right at home if you’re a fan of Platinum’s popular Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance fights. Of course the groundwork of NieR still exists, meaning you’ll be picking up loot and gaining experience while dodging bullet hell attacks with your robot partner’s machine gun which functions in familiar fashion to Grimoire Weiss’ magic bullets. One last weird comparison I wanted to bring up is a strange tinge of Ratchet & Clank being present of all things. Defeated enemies literally drop bolts for you to pick up, and your double-jump can lead into a glide thanks to your little robotic buddy.

In the end this mixture results in a very good first impression. Keiichi Okabe’s music is still haunting and intense, and what little glimpse we get at these characters and their world is leading me to expect another unforgettable tale from Taro Yoko. Things are looking good, and if NieR Automata delivers, it could easily be one of Platinum Games’ finest works. NieR Automata releases for the PlayStation 4 in North America on the 7th of March 2017, and in Europe on the 10th of March 2017. A PC version has also been announced for an unspecified date in 2017, and it remains to be seen if and when a demo for the platform will be released.